Membership Criteria and Grades

Document: Membership Criteria and Grades
Status: Adopted and in force
Version: 1.0
Adopted by: The Management Committee
Effective date: 1 January 2020
Last reviewed: January 2026 (reaffirmed without amendment)
Next review due: January 2027
Review cycle: Annually

1. Purpose

1.1 This document describes the four grades of membership of the Society and the criteria that must be satisfied for admission to and continuation in each grade. It is a companion to the Membership Regulations, which contain the binding procedural rules.

2. Grades at a Glance

Grade	Typical stage	Vote	Directory listing
Intern Member	In supervised training	No	Examiner directory, noted as Intern, with supervisor
Member	APA-certified examiner in independent practice	Yes	Examiner directory
Senior Member	Experienced Member with sustained contribution	Yes	Examiner directory, noted as Senior
Honorary Member	Distinguished service	No, unless also Member or Senior Member	By decision of members in general meeting
Affiliate Member	Adjacent professional (treatment, legal, HR, clinical, HMPPS)	No	Separate Affiliates directory
Research Member	Researcher / scientist in a relevant field	No	By consent, in a research roster
Student Member	In training or postgraduate study	No	Not publicly listed

3. Intern Member

3.1 Open to examiners who have completed a basic polygraph training course recognised by the Society and who are engaged in supervised practice under the direction of a Member, Senior Member, or equivalent APA-certified examiner.

3.2 Intern Members are bound by the Code of Ethics and the Standards of Practice.

3.3 Intern Membership is not a long-term grade. A person may not remain an Intern Member for more than four consecutive years save in exceptional circumstances accepted in writing by the Management Committee.

4. Member

4.1 Open to examiners who hold current APA certification (or an equivalent recognised by the Management Committee), have completed the threshold number of supervised examinations set out in the Membership Regulations, and meet the reference, disclosure, and insurance requirements of those Regulations.

4.2 Members are entitled to vote at general meetings, to stand for the Management Committee, and to appear in the BPS directory without restriction on grade.

5. Senior Member

5.1 Open to existing Members who meet the length-of-service, examination-volume, CPD, discipline-free, and contribution criteria set out in the Membership Regulations.

5.2 Senior Members may sit on Complaints Panels and may chair sub-committees of the Management Committee.

5.3 Senior status is not a permanent appointment in itself: a Senior Member whose APA certification lapses or whose conduct gives rise to a disciplinary finding at level (d) or above may be reduced to Member status by resolution of the Management Committee.

6. Honorary Member

6.1 Admitted on the recommendation of the Management Committee and by resolution of the members in general meeting, in recognition of distinguished service.

6.2 Honorary status is for life unless resigned or revoked by the members in general meeting.

6A. Affiliate Member

6A.1 Open to practising professionals in roles adjacent to polygraph examination — including treatment providers, probation and HMPPS staff, barristers and solicitors, HR and corporate investigators, forensic psychologists, and clinicians — who wish to associate themselves with the Society’s ethical framework without conducting polygraph examinations as BPS-listed examiners.

6A.2 Affiliate Members are bound by the Code of Ethics. They have no vote, are not eligible to sit on disciplinary panels, and may not appear in the examiner directory.

6A.3 Affiliate Members are listed in a separate Affiliates directory and shall not describe themselves as BPS-listed examiners. The post-nominal “MBPS” is reserved for Members and Senior Members; Affiliates may use the designation “Affiliate, BPS”.

6B. Research Member

6B.1 Open to researchers and scientists with a postgraduate qualification or a demonstrable research track record in psychophysiology, credibility assessment, forensic science, statistics, machine learning, or a related field.

6B.2 Research Members are bound by the Code of Ethics. They have no vote, but may be invited by the Management Committee to sit on the Research and Standards Sub-Committee. That Sub-Committee is advisory; it does not determine the content of the Standards of Practice or of any other binding policy.

6B.3 Research Members may use the designation “Research Member, BPS”.

6C. Student Member

6C.1 Open to persons in training towards polygraph examiner certification, and to persons in postgraduate study in a field relevant to polygraphy.

6C.2 Student Membership carries a reduced subscription and does not give rise to a vote or eligibility for elected office.

6C.3 On completion of the qualifying study or training, a Student Member may apply to be converted, and on meeting the relevant criteria shall be converted, to Intern Member, Affiliate Member, or Research Member as appropriate.

6C.4 Student Members may use the designation “Student Member, BPS”.

7. Use of Designations and Post-nominals

7.1 Members may use the following designations and post-nominals, provided they are a member in good standing:

1. Intern Member: “Intern Member, British Polygraph Society”;
2. Member: “MBPS”;
3. Senior Member: “SMBPS”;
4. Honorary Member: “Hon. MBPS”;
5. Affiliate Member: “Affiliate, BPS”;
6. Research Member: “Research Member, BPS”;
7. Student Member: “Student Member, BPS”.

7.2 A person who ceases to be a member shall cease using any BPS designation or post-nominal forthwith.

8. Recognition of Equivalent Qualifications

8.1 The Management Committee may recognise a qualification as equivalent to APA certification for the purpose of these criteria. A decision to recognise a qualification shall be in writing and shall be published to the membership.

8.2 The Management Committee shall not recognise any qualification that materially falls short of the training hours, supervised practice, and continuing education standards applied by the APA.

9. Relationship to Other Documents

9.1 This document is guidance on how the Society reads and applies the Constitution and Membership Regulations. In case of inconsistency, the Constitution and Regulations prevail.